Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday again called for the adoption of a new constitution, saying that the judiciary and justice systems do not have an “organic connection” with the people, whom he described as the “highest source of power.”

He made the remarks at the 8th meeting of the EU–Armenia Civil Society Platform.

“We highly value the activities of civil society in the Republic of Armenia, and especially in the context of our ideology and understanding of democracy, it is difficult to overestimate the role of civil society in our reality. At the same time, I consider it very important that we continue to create institutional mechanisms so that cooperation between the Government, the political majority, and state and local self-government bodies in general becomes more institutionalized, more systematic, and as a result more effective and more constructive,” the Prime Minister noted.

He added:

“Overall, although significant progress has been recorded in democracy, state development, and economic development since the 2018 non-violent, velvet revolution, at the same time it must be acknowledged that serious problems still exist and remain among the priorities of the agenda. However, in searching for solutions to these problems, one also encounters issues that are not visible at first, second, or even third glance. In particular, this is what is commonly referred to as the clarification of fundamental concepts.”

The Prime Minister noted that the biggest criticism addressed to his Government and the political majority since taking office in 2018 is that, although justice was one of the key points of the revolutionary agenda, they have not yet achieved results in the field of justice that could be considered good or satisfactory.

“There is truth in this, but when we try to understand the problem, we encounter at first glance a very simple question: what is justice, and what is justice administration? It turns out that there is no unified understanding of this issue. Moreover, there are significant ideological and perspectival differences not only at the general level, but also within professional groups. For example, lawyers consider justice one thing, politicians another, economic actors a third, and citizens a fourth. In general, there are two sides to justice, and usually one wins while the other loses. How can we ensure that both the loser and the winner accept that what happened is justice and justice administration? While studying this issue, I have come to the conclusion that one of the most important problems here is the organic nature of processes and institutions in terms of their connection with the source of power—the people,” the Prime Minister said.

According to him, under the current system, Armenia will never have a genuine sense of justice and justice administration, because the judicial and justice systems largely lack an organic connection with the highest source of power—the people. This issue is one of the most important that must be resolved in the near future through the adoption of a new Constitution.

“Because in Armenia, justice and justice administration are largely governed by institutions that are isolated, that do not have an organic connection with the people, and that do not have a sufficient level of accountability and responsibility before the people, who are the highest bearer of power. I have come to the conclusion for myself that justice and justice administration is compliance with the Constitution and laws. But what should we do in cases when the Constitution itself does not have an organic connection with the highest source of power? In that case, no matter what you do, there will be no sense of justice and justice administration, because the Constitution must be an _expression_ of the free will of the people. And we must admit that we do not have such a Constitution and, unfortunately, we have never had one. And when the source from which justice and justice administration formally derive has a break with the people, this mechanism can never be perceived by the people as justice and justice administration,” he said.

“I am not saying this as the Prime Minister of Armenia; I am saying this as a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, because I myself do not have a sense of justice and justice administration in Armenia in institutional terms, and this is a fundamental problem that we must solve,” the Prime Minister elaborated.

He added that in this regard, the Armenian authorities emphasize cooperation with the European Union. He noted that during recent meetings at the European Court of Human Rights, he stressed that the task of the Armenian authorities is not to conceal existing problems or to present everything as if everything is fine.

“On the contrary, the key purpose of our cooperation with a number of European and international institutions is to have certain mechanisms for correcting possible mistakes, because if we proceed from the assumption that we must reach a situation where we do not make mistakes, that is not correct, because everyone makes mistakes. Therefore, we should not set the goal of not making mistakes, because if we do, we close our path forward. This is our understanding: we must work not to make mistakes, we must do everything not to make mistakes, but we must understand that we will make mistakes. The difference is that we must ensure that these mistakes are as minor as possible, and that there are mechanisms to correct them. This is our operational approach,” he said.

He also rejected criticism that the government was overly reactive to proposals from civil society.

“I understand that emphasis, but I do not agree that the Government is some kind of amorphous body that must obediently implement whatever civil society says. Then let us switch roles—let you govern, and we will come and make proposals. But I am not saying that the Government should reject everything either. What I am saying is that there must be debate, because what is adopted without debate is, from the outset, wrong,” Pashinyan said.

The launch of Azerbaijani petroleum imports into Armenia has saved citizens and residents tens of billions, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

Speaking in parliament, he added that the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz would have had a stronger impact on Armenian citizens and the economy if not for the opening of the Azerbaijani railway route to Armenia, which currently runs via Georgia.

“The import of Azerbaijani petroleum products was the final factor that allowed us to complete the operation to dismantle the monopoly in the fuel market, which had been ongoing for eight years. Why eight years? Because we are fighting the mafia,” Pashinyan told lawmakers in his 2025 report, stressing that the mafia is not only domestic but, in some cases, has branches elsewhere.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday that Armenia is entering the implementation phase of TRIPP.

“We should note with satisfaction that, despite the complex international situation, the governments of the United States, the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan all consider the reopening of regional communications and the implementation of the TRIPP project a priority,” the Prime Minister told lawmakers in parliament.

Pashinyan emphasized that this stems from the understanding that the implementation of the project will become an important pillar of long-term, stable, and reliable peace in the region.

The Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) is a connectivity project in Armenia, envisaged under the U.S.-brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani joint declaration signed in Washington, D.C. The project is expected to unlock strategic economic opportunities, create long-term benefits by promoting infrastructure investment, and enhance regional connectivity. An Armenian-American joint enterprise is expected to develop the route.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in parliament on Wednesday that Armenia today is a completely different country compared to 2018, when he first took office.

Pashinyan made the remarks in parliament while presenting the 2025 report on the implementation and results of the 2021–2026 government program.

“Today we are more independent than ever, more sovereign than ever, more of a state than ever, more democratic than ever, more developed than ever, more peaceful than ever, more prosperous than ever, and more secure than ever,” Pashinyan said.

He also highlighted positive demographic trends, noting an increase in life expectancy.

“I will add one more thing: we have higher life expectancy, because according to 2024 data, the average life expectancy in the Republic of Armenia is 78.6 years, which is an absolute record, and as far as I understand, even compared to the Soviet period,” he said.

The prime minister also stressed regional developments, emphasizing the importance of peace for Armenia’s future.

According to him, the country’s prospects have become more predictable due to the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Today the prospects of our state are clearer than ever, and this is primarily due to peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which was established on August 8, 2025, in Washington, D.C., with the support of US President Donald Trump,” he said.

Pashinyan added that Armenia faces important upcoming milestones, including regional connectivity projects and the consolidation of peace.

“In the near future, major and historic events are expected. The implementation of the ‘Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity’ project, which will finally take Armenia out of nearly 30 years of blockade, and, of course, the signing and ratification of the agreement on the establishment of peace and interstate relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which will ensure the continued elimination of hostility between our states and peoples,” he concluded.

The Republic of Armenia has moved beyond an imposed survival and struggle agenda and has entered a historic era of normal life, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Wednesday.

Speaking in parliament during the 2025 report on the implementation of his administration’s action plan, Pashinyan said that the country’s priority has become state development, education, employment, and the improvement of prosperity, emphasizing that Armenia’s historical mission is to develop the state and pass it on to future generations.

“Our historical mission is to be educated, to work, to develop the Republic of Armenia with its internationally recognized territory of 29,743 square kilometers, and to pass it on to future generations as an independent, peaceful, secure, developed, and prosperous state—generation after generation and century after century. To live, to be educated, to work, to develop prosperity, to develop peace, to develop the state, and to pass it on to generations through the centuries. This is the wonderful historical mission in which we find ourselves, which we call the agenda of the state’s eternal continuity,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

Pashinyan stressed that reaching this stage became possible thanks to public support and the legitimate mandate formed by the 2021 elections.

“The government and the parliamentary majority could not have done anything without the people’s mandate and support,” he said.

The prime minister reminded that the peace agenda had been clearly defined as the supreme goal in the government’s 2021 program.

According to him, that goal has now been achieved, albeit at a heavy cost.

“At what cost? At the cost at which it could be achieved. Yes, at the cost of numerous casualties and sacrifices, at the cost of many deprivations and suffering, at the cost of going through hell,” Pashinyan said.

He noted that Armenia today stands at a new historic stage, with statehood, peace, development, and prospects for the future.

The prime minister also addressed political assessments of the past, saying that public perceptions in earlier periods often did not correspond to reality.

“The discourse of ‘Karabakh was ours and is no longer ours’ was part of a philosophy and concept of being trapped in a geopolitical trap. The reality is that the Republic of Armenia was not ours and is now ours. The reality is that all the known territories were under Armenian control at the expense of our statehood, sovereignty, independence, prosperity, security, and future, and we did not understand this. Perhaps there were people who understood it and did not speak out because they were afraid. There were also people who both understood and spoke out, but we either did not listen to them, ignored them, or silenced them, convinced that they did not understand what they were saying, while we—including myself—did not understand what we were doing since 1988. And we did everything against ourselves and against the lessons of history.

But today we can say that we—the government and the governing majority—have changed the destructive course of our history and placed the Republic of Armenia on a constructive and peaceful path. Today our people are writing a completely new, state-centered chapter of their history, where the state is both the goal and the means,” Pashinyan concluded.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented his administration’s economic highlights on Wednesday during the 2025 action plan report.

He told lawmakers that since first taking office in 2018 and throughout 2025, his government has implemented 1 trillion 410 billion drams in support programs for citizens of Armenia by returning these funds to them.

Armenia’s average annual GDP growth between 2021 and 2025 stood at 7.9%, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the debate of the 2025 report of the 2021-2026 action plan. 

During the same period, he noted, global average economic growth was 4.1%, while the average growth rate among Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) members was 3.1%.

The prime minister also said that Armenia’s 2025 state budget revenues are 2.3 times higher than in 2017, or by $4.3 billion.

“Where did this $4.3 billion come from? It came from patiently and one by one closing all the loopholes for theft,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister of Armenia noted that capital expenditures in 2025 have increased 2.9 times compared to 2017.

“In Armenia, 288,000 jobs have been created. The average monthly income has increased by 87% compared to 2017, while cumulative inflation over the same period was 29%. These figures show that compared to 2017, employed people are living 55% better lives. Between 2018 and 2025, we implemented support programs worth 1 trillion 410 billion drams, returning this amount to the citizens of Armenia through various programs,” he said.

Pashinyan added that the “2018 non-violent, velvet revolution was also carried out in order to achieve these results.”

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told lawmakers on Wednesday that his administration’s decision to raise pensions was a historic achievement in the social protection sector.

“For the first time in the history of the Republic of Armenia, the income received by pensioners exceeds the minimum consumer basket, which currently stands at 61,760 drams according to the latest data. The calculation of the minimum consumer basket includes 6,000 drams for healthcare [insurance] expenses,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister noted that this achievement has been recorded eight years after he took office following the 2018 revolution, as his government has consistently moved step by step along this path.

“In 2019, we first doubled the minimum pension. Then, in the next step, we aligned the minimum pension with the minimum food basket to ensure that [no pensioner in Armenia lacks basic food security]. This is truly a historic achievement in the field of pensioners’ social security,” the prime minister said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan added that increases in allocations have also been recorded in education, science, and social benefits.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan outlined in parliament his administration’s reforms in the healthcare sector and their outcomes, also addressing the introduction of the health insurance system.

The prime minister recalled that in 2018 he had stated that no person in need of medical care in Armenia should be left outside hospital doors, and noted that the government has pursued a phased reform path to achieve this goal.

Pashinyan said the health insurance system was not introduced earlier because the healthcare system was not ready for it.

“If we had introduced health insurance in 2018, the healthcare system would have collapsed,” he said in parliament during the presentation of the 2025 report of the government’s 2021-2026 action plan.

According to him, a number of fundamental reforms were first implemented, including the expansion of the state healthcare package, the introduction of a contracting mechanism, and the development of e-health services, including electronic prescriptions.

The prime minister said that although these reforms were often criticized, they were necessary steps toward laying the foundation for the insurance system.

“All those reforms were bulldozing the path toward today’s already established irreversible reality,” he said.

Pashinyan also emphasized concrete results in the sector, noting that average life expectancy has reached 78.6 years, while the healthcare budget has increased 2.6 times, or by 157%, compared to 2017.

He also presented statistics related to services provided to citizens aged 65 and older.

“In three months, we provided services worth 34 billion 110 million drams [$91.4 million USD] to 239,630 persons aged 65 and above,” he said.

According to him, between January 1 and April 14, 2026, 439 citizens received medical care worth $10,800 or more, 1,133 received services worth $5,400–$10,800, and 4,721 received services worth $2,700–$5,400.

In addition, thousands of citizens received various levels of medical services ranging from up to $150 to several hundred dollars.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday said his administration implemented road projects of strategic importance and constructed or repaired a total of 4,735 kilometers of roads since taking office in 2018 and throughout 2025.

Of the 4,735 kilometers, 1,346 were implemented under subvention programs, he said.

Presenting the 2025 report on the government’s action plan to parliament, Pashinyan recalled that in the past there were problems on the country’s key highways, citing the condition of the Bagratashen–Yerevan, Yerevan–Goris, Yerevan–Meghri, Yerevan–Gyumri, and Yerevan–Vanadzor roads.

According to the prime minister, strategic road construction projects that had been discussed for decades have now been implemented.

“The Ashtarak–Gyumri section of the North–South road is now a reality. We have built or overhauled roads of such strategic importance that have been discussed since 1993,” Pashinyan said.

He also cited the Gandzakar–Itsakar road as an example, noting that discussions about its asphalt paving had already been ongoing since he was a university student. 

Relations between Armenia and Russia are currently at their highest level ever, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a Q&A session in parliament.

Responding to a question from Lilit Minasyan of the Civil Contract faction, the prime minister referred to statements by businessman Samvel Karapetyan regarding Armenia’s potential economic situation and claims of worsening relations with Russia.

He dismissed such claims as unfounded.

Pashinyan noted that similar concerns had been raised in 2018 and 2021, but stressed that current bilateral relations are stronger than ever.

The prime minister said he remains in constant working contact with the Russian president and the head of government, giving the relationship “special content.”

He also emphasized that Armenia has not entered and will not enter into confrontation with Russia.

“We have not argued with the Russian Federation, we are not arguing, and we will not argue. Attempts to draw us into economic or political contradictions are in vain,” Pashinyan said.

According to him, a balanced foreign policy includes maintaining strong relations with Russia, and Armenia will continue to follow that course.